Nightshade Bittersweet: Protection From The Evil Eye!

With Friday the 13th barely behind us and Halloween costumes the most important talking point if you are a five year old goblin at VES; I figured that the topic of Solanum would offer an appropriate element of yikes to the season. 

During the first week of October, I noticed a vine jutting from the top of my seven foot American holly bush. Anyone who lives in Vernon understands the constant battle of controlling the destructive and invasive Oriental bittersweet vine, so I did what any quick witted gardener would do in the pouring rain, I hunted down my hand pruners and set to work.

Once I had pruners in hand, I got down on my knees, weaving myself as best I could through the stiff  holly branches in order to clip the vine near the ground. That was when I noticed the vine was not Oriental bittersweet at all. This vine was something I hadn't seen in my yard before. My sense of wonder was doused by a heavy dose of rain however, and so I tossed it onto the lawn and walked away. 

The invader sat there decaying for some time before Kirk and Helen paid us a visit and identified it as: nightshade bittersweet, climbing nightshade, devil's berries, naughty man's cherries, death cherries, beautiful death, devil's herb...Now I'm no dummy and I figured out pretty quickly, that a vine with so many names must have made a big impression on a lot of folks over the years. So that very next week, I decided that I most likely should clean up the vine along with its red berries. Well suffice to say, no non-native vine arrives on the landscape as a solitary uninvited guest.

Leaves are alternate and deeply lobed at their base.

 I later learned that gloves should be worn when touching any part of the plant. 

I should note here that Oriental bittersweet and nightshade bittersweet aren't the only bad actors in this family, there is a whole big extended 2,500 member strong family of Solanum out there. For example the extremely poisonous, deadly nightshade (belladonna) produces black berries and contains solanine and an atropine like chemical in addition to duclamarine. 

You can well imagine that I am feeling pretty fortunate that it is the less toxic relative  Solanum dulcamara taking up residence here in the village. Even so, this article notes that bittersweet nightshade has caused a loss of livestock, poisoning of pets and, will cause sickness and rarely death in children who have eaten its bitter bright red berries. 

The vine is hollow in the center.

I am certain as I tap out this blog on my keyboard, that there are people in our very own town who tout the redeeming qualities of naughty man's cherries; and I am not going to, as some would expect, argue with their position. Kirk after all, noted that while he disliked the vine's smell, he rather enjoyed the look of its purple flowers. I also found this article  which claims, "Nightshade was considered potent protection against witchcraft during the middle ages, and a sprig tied to the neck of a cow was sure to ward off the evil eye." 

Admittedly, I often eat from this plant family in the forms of tomato, pepper and potato.

The new growth leaves at the top of the nightshade bittersweet resemble a pepper plant.

Apart from an easily broken vine, a pungent odor when broken and having two different shapes of leaves on a vine, nightshade bittersweet's roots are light tan while Oriental bittersweet's roots are red. Both varieties have roots that fragment when pulled. Truly a tale of horror, each root fragment will result in a new vine and if a piece of vine is left on the ground it will take root.

I don't pretend to understand why a vine that predominantly grows in swamps, on stream banks, along shorelines, in fragments of forests and in waste areas, is thriving at my house. I just want all of Vernon to know that in these troubling times, in this spookiest of seasons, I have botanical protection against witches, warlocks, and the evil eye; and I'm speculating that it works on vampires too! So any trick or treater better come prepared lest I drop a green tomato in their sack when they come nocking at my door.

 Trick or Treat! -Norma Manning 

Further Reading:

Best Management Practices Bittersweet Nightshade

The Supernatural Side of Plants

Solanum dulcamara - climbing nightshade